Extreme Temperatures and Mortality in Ireland

Mathilde Pascal, Pat Goodman, Luke Clancy and Joel Schwartz

Climate change may have several health impacts, one of them related to the increase in temperature and the increase in the frequency and severity of extreme events such as extremes of cold, drought, floods, and heatwaves. Heatwaves have been associated with significant mortality and morbidity impacts in many countries, and heat-related risks have been known for a long time. In Europe, adaptation to heat and heatwaves is now considered a priority. Although extreme temperatures have not been identified as a major cause of mortality in Ireland, climate change calls for an evaluation of the past, present and future health risks associated with heat and heatwaves. The purpose of this work is to quantify the temperature– mortality relationship during summer, in order to identify relevant adaptation strategies and to investigate if past heatwaves have been characterised by an observable excess mortality in Ireland.